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30 Apr 2018

Whilst birdwatching the bottom valley of
the Raydah Escarpment in the Asir Mountains of southwest Saudi Arabia, I came
across and photographed a Scarlet Tip Colotis danae. The white, base of wings
generally speckled to a varying extent, with black scales. This speckling can
be absent in many specimens. Forewing: with or without a minute black spot. The
apex is broadly carmine, edged internally and externally with black, this black
border varies in width. The hindwing is uniform, except for a series of black
terminal spots, which in some specimens are comparatively large and connected
together by an anticiliary slender black line, in others minute, more or less
obsolescent, unconnected dots.

28 Apr 2018

Whilst birding Sabkhat Al Fasl on 13 April Phil Roberts found an adult Red-wattled Lapwing. The species is scarce in Saudi Arabia with records from Riyadh, the Empty Quarter and the Eastern Province. This species is a resident breeder at wetlands in eastern Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait, and is gradually colonizing westwards. It would be great to think that the birds breeding to the north and south of us are trying to join up their breeding ranges, but so far it has not yet been recorded to breed in Saudi Arabia. In the Eastern province it is regarded as a scarce passage migrant and winter visitor although records are becoming more common with over twenty birds seen together at Shaybah in recent years. There have been a number of suspected breeding birds seen but no actual confirmation of the species breeding in the Kingdom. Phil kindly sent me his records and a photo of the bird that he has allowed me to use on my website and is shown below.

26 Apr 2018

Whilst birdwatching the bottom valley of
the Raydah Escarpment in December I came across a number of Yellow Pansy
Butterfly Junonia hierta. Some were in poor condition but one was a
better specimen shown below. The Yellow Pansy Junonia hierta is a
species of nymphalid butterfly found in the Paleotropics including Saudi Arabia
where the subspecies Junonia hierta cebrene can be found in the drier
parts of Africa and Arabia where it is usually seen in open scrub and grassland
habitats. The male upperside is bright yellow. The costa of the forewing has a
broad triangular jet-black projection downwards at the discocellulars, and the
dorsum has a triangular projection upwards near the tornus; this black margin
narrows near the middle of the termen and bears on the apex two short
transverse preapical white streaks crossed by the black veins. The anterior
half and the terminal margin of the hind wing is black, and the dorsum is
broadly shaded with brown while the anterior black area has a large brilliant
blue spot. The cilia of both fore and hind wings are white alternated with
brown. The underside of the forewing is pale yellow. The cellis is crossed by
three laterally black-margined orange-yellow bars, beyond that is a short,
broad, irregular jet-black oblique band from costa to base of vein 4. The hind
wing is greyish yellow, and in the dry-season its form is strongly irrorated
with dusky scales. With a prominent transverse brown discal fascia, its margins
are highly sinuous. There is a brownish broad shade on the middle of the termen
and some obscure lunular marks on the basal area. The antennae is pale, and the
head, thorax and abdomen are dark brownish black; beneath that is a dull
ochraceous white. The female is similar, although the colours are duller. The
cell of the upperside fore wing has a more or less complete transverse black
fascia and another at the discocellulars. A blue-centred well-marked ocelli is
in interspaces 2 and 5 on the disc of the fore wing, and smaller ocelli in
interspaces 2 and 5 on the disc of the hind wing. The fore and hind wings have
a fairly well-defined pale subterminal line, though the blue spot on the
anterior black area on the hind wing is small and ill-defined; the rest is as
the male. The underside is also as the male, but generally has heavier and more
clearly defined markings.

24 Apr 2018

The Yellow
Wagtail is a common passage migrant through the whole of Arabia with many
thousands passing through the Eastern Province alone. A number of different
subspecies occur, often together with Jubail being a particularly good area for
seeing large groups. The first subspecies to occur are Black-headed Wagtails feldegg and
these are then followed normally by beema. This year has been no
different with the first Black-headed Wagtails occurring in February and the
first beema in March. Numbers should now increase through
April with more and more birds and subspecies occurring. Yellow Wagtails are
quite confiding but trying to get really good photos is challenging as they are
fast moving and you have to get the light in the correct position as well as
try to get some catch-light in their eyes otherwise their dark eyes look
‘dead’. If you can manage this, then they make great subjects as they are very
beautifully plumaged birds.

22 Apr 2018

Whilst birding the Jubail area recently I
came across an Arta Calligonum comosum. Thius plant is a virtually
leafless perennial shrub up to 2.5m tall, stem much branched from thick woody
rootstock. Main stems dark and rough often with peeling bark, older branches
white with swollen nodes, less rough but angular and fragile and often
dropping. Twigs slender, dark green looks from a distance like long trailing
hairs. Leaves if
present are minute, 3-5mm long, falling off quickly. Flowers are many, five
white sepals with greenish central stripe, no petals, with bright red anthers,
on short stalks from leaf nodes, sometimes clustered. Flowers from December to
April.Fruit is showy, bristly
nut covered with rusty red or white furry hairs, becoming dirty yellow in
maturity. It prefers sand plains, dunes and roadsides where it is common and
widespread. This species is an excellent desert sand binder, cultivated and
used for windbreaks around desert plantations; used as firewood, as it burns
smokelessly; dried leaves and stems are chewed to treat toothache, young shoots
collected as salad greens or powdered to add to milk as a tonic or flavouring,
fruits are edible.

20 Apr 2018

Birding the
Jubail area continued turning up migrants and winter visitors with plenty of
Great Cormorants staying in the area later this year than previously. They used
to be seen rarely in the area but have now started winter in large numbers.
Wheatears have been common with Pied Wheatears the commonest although a few Eastern Black-eared Wheatears of both forms seen. Waders are passing through with good
numbers of both Little Ringed and Common Ringed Plovers, as well as the occasional
Temminck’s Stint and Greater Sand Plover. Small numbers of both Common Swift
and Pallid Swift have been passing through along with Barn Swallow and
Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters. Many full breeding plumage Squacco Herons are around
and several small flocks of various subspecies of Yellow Wagtails have been
located with one supercilliaris amongst them.

18 Apr 2018

One of Africa’s most common and widely
distributed dragonflies, the male red-veined dropwing Trithemis arteriosa has a slender red abdomen and is named after
the bright red veins running across its wings. It can also be found and across
southern Europe and parts of the Middle Eastincluding Saudi Arabia. The female and immature red-veined dropwing,
have a yellowish-russet abdomen with a pale streak between the wings. As with
other dropwing species, the wings are held downwards and forwards when at rest.
Both the male and female red-veined dropwing have orange flecks at the base of
the wings and large crimson eyes. The distinctive lower mouthparts are yellow
with a central bronze stripe. Black splashes run along the sides of the
abdomen, increasing in size up to the tip, which is entirely black. The flight
period for adult red-veined dropwings is throughout the year, although they are
more commonly seen during the summer months. Perching is thought to help the
red-veined dropwing locate and catch prey and allows the male red-veined
dropwing to lookout for female mates and intruders.

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About The Blog

I hope you enjoy browsing my latest images & notes from the field, the majority are from Dhahran (eastern Saudi Arabia) as well as bird ringing in Bahrain. Most of the photographs are of birds but I will also include other interesting natural history shots when I take them.

About The Photographs

I am an amateur photographer who goes birdwatching and takes the occasional picture with birdwatching being my primary interest. I do birdwatch in an area that has good light for photogrpahy and manage to take quite a few photographs each day.

All photos on this blog are copyright and may not be copied or reproduced without my permission. Please ask if you would like to use any of my photographs for any reason.